Ministry of Education
Union Minister of State for Education Dr. Subhas Sarkar visits IIM, Amritsar
Hon'ble Union Minister of State for Education – Dr Subhash Sarkar, visited the campus of IIM, Amritsar. During his visit to the campus, Dr Sarkar planted a tree on the transit campus of IIM, which signified the need for a green environment, especially on the premises of an educational institute. The green in the IIM Amritsar logo sends out the message that we can flourish only by keeping our environment green.
Later, Dr Sarkar met the faculty, staff and students of IIM Amritsar at IIM Amritsar Auditorium. Dr Sarkar greeted the audience with a resounding 'Sat Sri Akaal' and expressed his pleasure on his arrival in the holy city.
Citing the words of Shri Guru Nanak Ji, he explained that education's purpose is people's welfare. Institutes like IIM Amritsar are working towards the welfare of people by improving the quality of education and imparting 21st-century skills. Recounting the unprecedented depth and scale of research that went into the formulation of the NEP 2020, he explained how this policy is related to every aspect of life. Dr Sarkar also highlighted the shift to experiential learning in NEP 2020.
The MoS Education emphasized the need for learning communication and presentation, which he described as a balance between speaking and listening. The MoS suggested that students should learn to neither speak less nor more to grow in their careers. He urged the participants to treasure our rich tradition, culture and practices aimed at unity and integrity of knowledge. He suggested that our research and innovation activities should benefit the most disadvantaged individuals and focus on fostering industry and academia linkages.
Reminding the slogan of Atmanirbhar Bharat, he expressed that India can stand up by imparting education meticulously and holistically by blending nuances of empathy and compassion with technological advancement in functional areas like genomics, biotechnology, nanotechnology, etc. Dr Sarkar appealed to the students of the Institute to hold motivational events for those who fail to do well in STD X or XII board exams. He also promised to be virtually present for such events to motivate young students. His second appeal to the students was to screen Indian cinemas on our struggle for freedom to get familiar with our glorious past. In the end, he expressed his desire for commercially viable programs from IIM Amritsar aimed at the betterment of society. He exhorted students to keep themselves motivated to become the best version of themselves.
On this occasion, Prof. Nagarajan Ramamoorthy, IIM Amritsar Director, apprised the MoS of various milestones the Institute has achieved since its foundation. The Director highlighted the phenomenal growth in the number of students pursuing various programs at IIM Amritsar. He informed the audience that IIM Amritsar started with a batch of 44 and has seen the number grow by approx. fifteen times to more than 650 in a span of seven years. The Institute has successfully facilitated 100 percent placements to its students with a consistent rise in the Average CTC. IIM Amritsar MBA students received the Average CTC of 14.63 LPA in 2021-22.
The Director highlighted the increase in the number of faculty to 31 and their contribution to research. As a result of the constant focus on research and graduation outcomes, the Institute has been ranked among the top 30 management institutes in India. The Director expressed his desire to move up in the ranking and informed the audience that the Institute is forging ahead in that direction. Prof. Ramamoorthy shared with the audience the status of construction work on the IIM Amritsar permanent campus. Informing the audience that the first phase of the construction would be completed by March 2023 and accommodate 600 students, he said that IIM Amritsar is already ahead of the curve, with more than 650 estimated to join in the academic year 2022-23.